Honor Code

To maintain academic integrity at Falls Church High School, all students will avoid:

Cheating –  gaining or receiving of unauthorized information; giving or gaining an unfair advantage.

Fraud– deceiving others for personal gain (including copying, forgery, dishonesty, and falsifying data).

Plagiarism – copying the language, structure, idea, and/or thought of another person and representing it as one's own original work; using information obtained from printed or electronic sources that are not appropriately cited

Using artificial intelligence programs without explicit permission from the teacher is considered a violation of the honor code.

Should students cheat and/or plagiarize an assignment, parents will be notified and a referral will be submitted to administration. The teacher and administrator will discuss potential classroom consequences.

Guidelines

A. Student Responsibilities

To maintain and support the academic integrity of the school community by

  • completing all assigned work, activities, and tests according to the stated policies without engaging in cheating, fraud, or plagiarism
  • understanding the school-wide Honor Code and individual teacher assignment guidelines
  • clarifying with the instructor any ambiguities about violations of the Honor Code on an assignment
  • protecting individual work from use by other students unless teacher permission is specifically given
  • signing designated assignments with the statement, “I have neither given nor received help on this assignment,” thereby asserting the integrity of the work
  • checking all papers carefully for documentation and originality of thought 

B. Teacher Responsibilities

To maintain and support the academic integrity of the school community by

  • clearly presenting the school-wide Honor Code and individual teacher guidelines, including specific guidelines for collaboration on assignments
  • maintaining the integrity of the testing process through monitoring test taking, changing assignments from year to year, developing multiple versions of a test, as well as other methods
  • utilizing a variety of resources to check for plagiarism and originality of thought
  • reporting any violation of the Honor Code to the parent and administrator

C. Administrator Responsibilities

To maintain and support the academic integrity of the school community by

  • making the Falls Church High School Honor Code available to all students, teachers, and parents
  • administering Honor Code violation consequences according to the guidelines, including parent conferences
  • maintaining records of Honor Code violations

D. Parent/Guardian Responsibilities

To maintain and support the academic integrity of the school community by

  • becoming knowledgeable of the Honor Code expectations
  • attending conferences as requested

Students who violate the Honor Code in regards to cheating and plagiarizing must accept responsibility for their actions and the accompanying consequences.

Student Consequences

1st Offense

1st Offense

  • The student will re-do assignment for the purpose of demonstrating learning – 50% minimum credit.
  • Administrator, counselor, and parent are notified by referral
  • Conference with student, parent, dean, and teacher
  • Violation entered into school record
  • Possible removal from or ineligibility for honor society membership
  • Honor Society officers are put on probation or removed from the position

2nd Offense

2nd Offense

  • No credit on assignment
  • Administrator, counselor, and parent are notified by referral
  • Conference with student, parent, and administrator
  • 5-day activities suspension and 5 days administrative detention
  • Students suspended from leadership positions (i.e. editors, class or club officers, team captains)
  • Removal from or ineligibility for honor society membership

3rd Offense

3rd Offense and Subsequent Offenses

  • No credit on assignment
  • Administrator, counselor, and parent are notified by referral
  • Conference with student, parent, and principal
  • 10-day activities suspension and 10 days of administrative detention
  • Permanent removal from or ineligibility for honor society membership
  • Colleges may be notified of the infraction
  • Possible suspension from school

Other

* All offenses are subject to principal intervention.

** If a student’s infraction of the Honor Code is egregious and has violated more than one aspect of the Honor Code, the student may be held accountable for a second or third offense.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a type of technology that involves computer programming and data. There are many different types of AI tools. Some can use data to make predictions, decisions, and/or generate content. As your teacher, I will specify when it is acceptable for you to use AI on any part of an assignment. We will also review expectations for citing AI and/or how students should explain their use of AI. Students should follow  Honor Code to maintain academic integrity. You should be able to demonstrate that you understand the information you turn in. AI tools can produce false information called “AI hallucinations.” You should always check what AI creates. Make sure it fits the needs of the project and audience. You remain responsible for the content you submit.  Students should not use AI on an assignment without the teacher's permission. 

Before using AI tools on assignments, students should ask me (your teacher): 

  • if AI can be used on any part of an assignment,
  • how it can be used,
  • how to show your work, and
  • how to cite or explain their use of AI. 

In general, students should not enter any of the following information into AI Tools: 

  • personal information (name, date of birth, etc.);
  • education records (grades, transcripts, etc.); and
  • work that belongs to others.

Regardless of whether you use a personal device or an FCPS device, students must follow teachers' expectations, the Honor Code, and SR&R.